Saturday, 23 November 2013

November 23

Red, Red Garnet Set

Maybe that relaxing time beside the ocean helped my focus. Sat down at bench today and got that lovely little garnet set on the heart brooch.

The Parts - Ready to Go

Here is the brooch -- pre-polished and ready for the garnet. The stone itself is held on a cuticle stick with a bit of Fun-Tak. Not all tools are costly and specially created for jewelry work ;-)

It took quite a bit of careful work to get that tube setting to accept the stone because the shape was slightly off-round. The initial setting was done with a stone setting bur (see my blog of September 5 - Stone Setting 101). The next step involved some hand-shaping of the opening so the stone would set squarely into it. A bit troublesome but worth the effort. Once the stone was set, I did the final polishing.

Final Photos: Finished at Last!

By the time I got the stone into the setting and the tube burnished over to secure it, the daylight was fading so the final photos are a touch dark. I could have set up studio lights but sometimes they are more trouble than help!

This brooch (broach, pin, to each her own!) is about 1 inch high by 1 1/4 inches wide. The garnet measures 4.5 mm diameter.

I am pretty happy with the way this turned out. I love that the design suggests two hearts, similar but not identical. I think the symbolism is very appropriate for the ultimate owner. I also really, really love that deep red garnet. A very dear friend hand-carried it for me from India so I wanted to use it in a special project. This filled the bill perfectly.

Tomorrow, I will get going on the second version of that moonstone ring. This time, I will make sure the elements stay in line ;-)